By Eric
Velasquez
*Age Range: 4 - 8 years
*Grade Level: Preschool - 3
*Hardcover: 40 pages
*Publisher: Holiday House
*Language: English
*ISBN-10: 082343754X
*ISBN-13: 978-0823437542
What do you do
when an octopus captures Grandma? Put on your superhero cape and rescue her!
Two stories in one from award-winning Afro-Latino artist Eric Velasquez.
The octopus Grandma is cooking has grown
to titanic proportions. "¡Tenga cuidado!" Ramsey shouts. "Be
careful!" But it's too late. The octopus traps Grandma!
Ramsey uses both art and intellect to
free his beloved abuela.
Then the story takes a surprising twist.
And it can be read two ways. Open the fold-out pages to find Ramsey telling a
story to his family. Keep the pages folded, and Ramsey's octopus adventure is
real.
This beautifully illustrated picture
book, drawn from the author's childhood memories, celebrates creativity,
heroism, family, grandmothers, grandsons, Puerto Rican food, Latinx culture and
more.
With an author's note and the Velasquez
family recipe for Octopus Stew!
Review
"Pura Belpré and
Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe honor winner Velasquez will surprise primary
grade readers with a story that is as fascinating and hilarious as it is
absurd. The English text intertwines with Spanish phrases that provide a
multicultural approach and validates the boy's family background. The vibrant
paintings, done in oils, strike the eye with large and expressive characters. .
. . A hilarious read-aloud that could be read during a storytime."—School Library
Journal, Starred
Review
"Realistic oil paintings bring to
life the action and excitement of encountering a giant octopus. Important
cultural notes are detailed in the story and pictures through emphasis on art,
storytelling, musical instruments, and more. Spanish dialogue mixes fluidly
into the primarily English text, with a glossary providing definitions and
pronunciations of Spanish terms. Happily, Velasquez also includes a recipe for
octopus stew."—Booklist
"A delightful modern tall tale sure
to entertain and inspire readers to share (and embroider) their own
stories." —Kirkus Reviews
"Oil paintings by Velasquez (Looking for Bongo) have a lush, generously sculptural feel—a heightened comic realism
that's perfect for this domestic tall tale, its multi-armed nemesis, and the
wonderful gatefold twist that occurs at the action's height." —Publishers
Weekly
Eric Velasquez' awards include the John
Steptoe / Coretta Scott King Award for new talent, a Pura Belpré Award, an
NAACP Image Award, and a Carter G. Woodson Award.
For Holiday House, he both wrote and
illustrated Looking for Bongo, and he illustrated Ol' Clip-Clop: A Ghost Story
by Patricia C. McKissack (Anne Izard Storyteller's Choice Award Winner, Georgia
Children's Book Award, Bank Street Best Children's Book of the
Year--Outstanding Merit) and New
Shoes by Susan Lynn Meyer (Jane Addams Peace
Association Children's Book Award, Bank Street Best Children's Book of the
Year, New York State Reading Association Charlotte Award).
The son of Afro-Puerto Rican parents who
encouraged music and storytelling, Eric grew up in Spanish Harlem, New York. As
a child, he loved superheroes, comics and drawing, much like the boy in Octopus
Stew.
He teaches illustration at the Fashion
Institute of Technology and lives in New York.
